1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image distribution apparatus, an image distribution method, and an image distribution program. More particularly, the present invention relates to an image distribution apparatus, an image distribution method, and an image distribution program which are suitable for distributing an image containing sensitive information.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a multi-function peripheral (hereinafter, referred to as the “MFP”) has a mass storage such as a hard disk drive (HDD) installed therein to store a large amount of data. The MFP is connected to a network, and the data stored in the HDD may be viewed from a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as the “PC”) connected to the network. However, there is a case where it is desired to restrict transmission of the data containing sensitive information. There is also a case where it is desired to prevent the transmitted data from being stored in the PC, because confidentiality of the data cannot be preserved if a duplicate of the transmitted data is stored in the PC.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-157034 discloses an image processor which allows time-limit management of a distributed image on a receiver-side device. This, however, requires installation of a dedicated program to the receiver-side device, resulting in a large-scale system.